Deck 3: The Few and the Many: Inequality in Latin American Politics

Question 1

Which definition best describes how Aristotle distinguished democracy from oligarchy?

A) Rulers are elected in democracy, determined by God in oligarchies.
B) Rulers are elected in democracies, put in power by the military in oligarchies.
C) The people rule in democracies, the wealthy rule in oligarchies
D) The people elect representatives in democracy, unelected leaders govern in oligarchies.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The middle class in Latin America are best defined as:

A) Everyone who has escaped precarity
B) Those families with more income and wealth than the poor but have not escaped precarity
C) Those who have achieved wealth and income comparable to the middle class in a develped country
D) Only those people who have indoor plumbing, water, and electricity in their homes

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The idea of "buen vivir" refers in Bolivia and many other parts of Latin America to:

A) A "First World" standard of living
B) The right to a wage or salary high enough to escape poverty
C) The extravagant displays of wealth by elites
D) The indigenous idea of less consumerism and living in balance with nature

Answer 3

D

Question 4

"Hyperurbanization" refers to:

A) "World cities" in the age of globalization
B) Cities that have more people than their infrastructure can sustain
C) The intrusion of urban ways of life into the rural countryside
D) Government programs to attract middle class people into central cities

Question 5

Which of the following terms is NOT used commonly to refer to the poor residents of the barrios (neighborhoods)?

A) Excluded
B) Marginalized
C) Indigenous
D) Informal sector

Question 6

What best describes what happened in Latin America overall between 1990 and 2005?

A) Economies contracted, and poverty and income inequality rates increased
B) Economies grew but income inequality increased
C) Poverty rates and income inequality both declined
D) Poverty rates got worse, but income inequality declined

Question 7

Which Gini score indicates the highest degree of economic equality?

A) .75
B) .50
C) .25
D) x²

Question 8

The idea that racial prejudice no longer exists in Latin America is known as:

A) Buen vivir
B) Compadrazgo
C) Myth of mestizaje
D) Criollismo

Question 9

In Brazil, affirmative action for Afro-descendents:

A) Has been rejected and declared illegal by the courts
B) Is not even under consideration because all Brazilians have African ancestry
C) Is limited to Afro-decendent women
D) Is being implemented in university admissions

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of intersectionality?

A) Rates of poverty Latin America are higher than in Asia.
B) There are big differences in poverty rates between countries like Honduras versus countries like Argentina and Chile.
C) Class differences are spread equally across different racial groups.
D) People with more wealth also are very likely to have more income.